Two to teach him love
by MikeMc
Summary: Post war Harry, AU. Harry learns of love after the horrific war
1. Chapter 1

**AN – Another one of my musings, it needed two chapters though…**

 **Chapter 1 – Wandering in the Wilderness**

He walked through the crowds thinking about how wonderful anonymity felt, he had been wondering through different towns since the war had ended. He had his hair in a pony tail with a few strands hanging over his famous scar and he finally had his eyes fixed so that he would never be recognised. Walking through the Swedish town he stopped at shop so he could buy water and a postcard for Hermione and Rosie, his guilt always lead him to sending them a postcard. His guilt and frustration is also what lead him away from England, and kept him away.

It had started while they were hunting Horcruxes; the night Ron decided to leave and Hermione stayed, she cried the whole night and looked dead on her feet the next day. The following evening she climb into bed with him and simply stayed there holding onto him tightly, mimicking every shift he made. It continued every night and eventually they had grew even closer than before, they danced to music and made plans every day. Then Ron returned and everyone went back to sleeping in their own beds and the bond Hermione and Harry shared had been broken. He returned to Hogwarts for his final year and even tried dating Ginny again but nothing made him feel loved like when he and Hermione were together.

Ron and Hermione on the other hand were constantly fighting and she would always run to him for comfort and advice. Then school ended and Harry sold everything but Grimmauld place and started his renovations on the place, eventually it looked like a beautiful home in which a normal person could live; so he lived there for a year while he worked through the Black library. Hermione had decided to live there with him when her parents went away and eventually the break up happened between Ron and Hermione.

That was when the sleeping arrangement resumed, one night he went to bed early and later she slipped in next to him in a pair of shorts and one of his t-shirts. She always came to bed later than him and woke earlier and she wouldn't speak about the sleeping arrangement and he never brought it up for fear that it might end again. She was studying to become a lawyer and he still spent time learning magic from the Black library; some days he would meet her for lunch at a muggle café and they would speak about various things but never eithers love life or the sleeping arrangement.

One day he prepared supper for the two of them when she arrived with Ron; Harry looked at them holding hands and knew immediately that they were back together.

"Hi mate, it's been awhile. Everyone in the department keeps wondering when you'll join us in training" Ron said in a matter of fact tone as Hermione went upstairs

"Yeah not going to happen, so are you two going out for the night?" Harry asked motioning to the sound upstairs

"Maybe, but she's packing. We decided to try again and she is moving into the burrow with us" Ron smiled at Harry

"That's nice" Harry said distractedly

"We can go, Harry thank you for letting me stay" she said from across the room not making any move toward him

"It was my pleasure Hermione, you're both welcome here anytime" he offered

But they never returned to Grimmauld place. He however would always call this place home (even though it now felt empty without Hermione). He had found a journal written by one of Sirius's ancestors about the different kinds of magic in the world so Harry packed a bag and started travelling; he followed the same journey, learning about magic in the different parts of the world. He sat on the dock of a run down sea side town somewhere in Africa when an owl landed next to him, he took the letter from the bird and it took off again. He ordered another beer and read the letter

 _Dear friend or family member,_

 _You are cordially invited to the wedding of Ms. Hermione Granger and Mr Ronald Weasley on the 1_ _st_ _of August 2000. Please do come and enjoy this wonderful day with the loving couple._

 _Regards_

 _The Weasley family_

Harry stared at the letter for hours while his alcohol intake increased, he thought it would be a birthday wish but instead it was like a nightmare. Somewhere around midnight he stumbled upstairs to his rented room and passed out. The next morning he woke with a terrible headache and his heart was in no better condition. It had been almost a year since they had decided to try and work on their relationship again and now they were getting married.

It would still be several months before the wedding day arrived so Harry continued following the journal and two months before the wedding he reached the last destination that was documented in the journal. While sitting in the Himalayas Harry thought about the journey he just completed and decided to embark on his own journey and document it for future heartbroken almost 20 years olds.

He would travel and try and make the world a better place because he had seen the utter devastation that people had caused so he helped build houses in the Himalayas first before leaving for Morocco where he helped a village with their water problem. From there each person would lead him to another who needed his skills. The morning of August the first rolled around and Harry arrived back in England and made his way straight to Madam Malkin's for new robes. He arrived 5 minutes before the wedding was supposed to start wearing midnight black robes; his hair in the pony tail; he took a seat at the back and then she walked in wearing the most beautiful dress he had ever seen and when she passed him and he saw that she was quite pregnant and it all made sense.

The ceremony was beautiful, even he had to admit that, and soon his two best friends were married and the reception was small so he found them through the small crowd

"Ron, Hermione" he called and they turned and his eyes fell to her belly once again

"Harry! We were so worried that you might not make it, where have you been?" She asked

"Here and there, nowhere significant really" he replied realising that he did not want to be here

"We wanted to ask you something important" Ron started

"Sure what's the matter?" He asked

"We'll we were wondering if you'd like to be Godfather?" Hermione asked rubbing her abdomen. He felt sick immediately; she should have known what she meant to him and now she was asking this.

"Uhm yeah sure" he replied

"Excellent" Hermione gave him a hug and the action felt so wrong to him

"You need to cut your hair and shave Harry" Ron started again "The head Auror is here as well and he wants to meet you" Ron smiled like he was doing Harry the biggest favour

"Let me go get cleaned up then" he walked towards the house and apparated right into Grimmauld place once he was out of sight. Casting the Fidelius charm and shutting the floo to everyone but himself, Harry Potter went incognito. For weeks he did not eat or sleep, Kreacher brought him drink after drink without question. He stumbled into the hallway and kicked the rucksack he had been using on his journey and the journal fell out of it, he looked at it and decided that he would continue his work instead of wallowing in self pity.

The following morning he took off again ending up in a village outside India that had been having attacks in the middle of the night. The atmosphere was cold and he felt the familiar feeling of being close to a dementor so he done some investigation into the problem; he ended up at a bar and started speaking to some of the locals and found out that since the attacks some people seemed miserable and the village was no longer the happy and relaxed place that it had been famous for. He made up his mind that there were dementors attacking the village and resolved their problem before moving on to the next place.

A few months later another letter found him at a bar in Mexico, drinking tequila with the locals and learning magic was an amazing time. He had been here nearly two months and had been learning a lot with the tribes in the area; he opened the letter and noticed Hermione's overly neat handwriting and closed the letter again, he would read it later in private. The rest of the day felt like it would never end but eventually he was back in his room and he opened the envelope properly and a picture fell out along with the letter. The little girl in the picture had dark eyes and was reaching out in the picture, he started reading the letter

 _Hi Harry,_

 _Meet Rose, my daughter and your goddaughter. She is a handful already and Ron can't help but fuss over her. She was born on the 11_ _th_ _of October._

 _I tried to go to the place where you live, I can't remember the name, and I couldn't remember where it is. Ron tried as well and he thinks that you've finally gone mad and locked yourself away from the world. I hope you are okay Harry, I do miss you and I hope you get to meet Rose_

 _Your friend_

 _Hermione_

He looked at the picture again and tucked it into his rucksack along with the letter. The next morning he went into town and found a coffee shop that sold postcards, he found one that was a picture of the valley close to where he was and sent it to Hermione. He left the town that day and continued south for the following months always stopping to buy a postcard and sometimes a gift for Rosie but never writing a letter or sending a note along with the postcard; he always signed it "Harry" but wrote nothing else.

Time moved on as was its nature and the months turned into years, the pictures of Rosie came once a year and sometimes there was a note but never a letter. Harry turned twenty five and celebrated his birthday with a few wizards in Sweden; it had been the closest he had been to home since Hermione's wedding. He sat outside enjoying the dark and the bite of the wind; he hadn't been in the cold for sometime, sitting there drinking his beer and watching the flames die down he felt sleep calling to him; he crawled into bed and fell asleep. Tomorrow he would pack up and go into town and find someplace to buy a postcard.

He was walking through the Swedish town after sending his latest postcard when an owl started circling overheard, stopping so that it could deliver its message he sat down outside a cinema. He took the envelope from the owl and noticed it seemed heavier than usual. Opening it he pulled out the picture of Rosie, she had long straight brown hair. Fortunately she wasn't plagued with the same bushy hair that Hermione was as a child. Next was a card from Rosie wishing him Happy Birthday and thanking him for everything he had sent her over the years. Hermione also sent him a short note saying Happy Birthday and hoping that he was well. Gathering everything up her decided that it was time for him to meet his Goddaughter and face Hermione and Ron.

He arrived at Grimmauld place and took a long shower and then cut his beard so that it was less than a centimetre long but still a full beard. Cutting his hair was an experience since it hadn't been cut since Hermione moved out, He cut it as short as Moony's had been when Harry first met him. He got dressed in black jeans, black sneakers and a green shirt. He threw on a black coat and made his way to the address he saw on Hermione's last note. He knocked on the door and Rosie answered

"Hello" she smiled

"Hi there Rosie" he smiled back at her

"Only mommy, daddy and Uncle Harry call me Rosie" she said raising her eyebrow

"So who do you think I am?" he bent down so that they were looking at each other eye to eye. She pushed some hair out of his face and saw the scar

"Uncle Harry!" she shouted and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. All the noise finally drew a few adults to the door

"Who is that Rose?" Hermione's mother asked

"It's me Mrs Granger, Harry Potter" he said shifting Rosie onto his hip

"My word, the last time I saw you was at the wedding and you wore glasses then" Dan granger said

"Yeah, I've been travelling and I got my eyes fixed" he said rubbing the back of his head

"Come in, Hermione is gone to pick up somethings for dinner" Mrs Granger invited him in.

"Thanks Mrs Granger"

"Call me Mary" he closed the door behind him. He looked around the house and saw bookshelves setup against almost every wall and toys laying on the floor but what he didn't see was any trace of Ron.

"Uhm where is…" he never finished the question when he saw Dan shake his head

"So tell us about where you have been? We saw all the postcards in Rose's room" Mary asked

"We'll my favourite so far has been Mexico" he said sitting down on the couch and Rosie hopped into his lap.

"It's where I found out about this little one" he continued "the people there are fantastic and the magical ones are even more so. It wasn't all fun though, they had a Manticore attacking people and it gave me this" he rolled up his sleeve and showed them the long scar starting at his left ring finger and ran up his arm till his elbow. He continued telling them about Mexico when she walked into the house carrying two bags just saying "I'm back" before walking into the kitchen not noticing him.

"We'll take Rose to the park for an hour or so, you two get caught up" Dan whispered and the three of them left. He walked into the kitchen and Hermione was packing stuff into the cupboard and not bothering to look at who entered the kitchen. She looked great, she had on a sexy dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt, her hair was straighter than he remembered and it was pulled into a pony tail

"So I ran into one of the Professors from Hogwarts and he said that they were looking for new teachers because Professor Flitwick is retiring and they still haven't been able to fill the defence against the dark arts post with a permanent teacher. I think that they are waiting for Harry to show up and take the job" she said. She finally turned around and saw that he was standing and watching the whole time, she crossed the room quickly and hugged him.

"How long have you been here?" she asked still holding him

"About an hour, been telling your parents about Mexico" he replied

"Where are they?" she finally let go of him and looked around the house

"Took Rosie to the park so that we could talk" he said and she turned to face him again

"How long are you staying?" she asked while pouring herself a glass of wine

"I don't know actually, I just decided to come back to England for a while and meet Rosie"

"Oh. So what do you think?" She asked

"She is amazing Hermione"

"So ..." she said uncertain about what she should say

"Where is Ron?" he asked already fearing the answer. She drank the entire glass of wine and poured another one

"God Harry where to start? We got divorced about two years ago when Rosie turned two. We had this massive fight" she started "Then he accused me of not loving him and holding him back, the divorce happened and yeah now you're caught up" she said

"I'm sorry about all that" he said

"It's okay. He is dating Lavender Brown and living in the flat above the twins shop" she said

"Mommy!" Rosie came speeding into the kitchen and hugged Hermione

"And now my life is split between work and raising this one" she poured Rosie a glass of water

"Uncle Harry, are you staying for supper?"

"If you're mom will have me" he said looking at Hermione

"Sure why not?" Hermione smiled. The evening was one of the best Harry had experienced. Dan and Mary left after 8 and then they put Rosie to bed, once she was sound asleep Harry and Hermione sat downstairs talking about his adventures and her job as an attorney at a private firm in Diagon Alley

"You were gone so long Harry" she stated

"I know, I needed to get away" he didn't look at her when he said it

"From Ron and me?" she asked waiting for him to look at her again

"Are we going to talk about this now?" he asked unsure if she wanted to have the discussion they had been putting off since Ron had returned to the tent that night after destroying the locket

"I think we have put it off long enough" she said simply

"I fell in love with you Hermione, those nights in the tent without Ron. Then he came back and you went back to him as if nothing happened and I figured you didn't feel anything for me" he was looking into her eyes now

"Then he left you again and you came to me, crawling into my bed every night. Though we didn't once kiss or sleep with each other it was so intimate. Then he came back and took you from me once again and you gladly went" her tears were flowing now, but he needed to tell her everything

"So I left, I went on my adventure and I thought that if I was gone you'd be able to make it work with him. Then you invited me to the wedding and I thought that it worked and that I was the problem so I came back the morning of your wedding for you. Then you asked me to be Godfather to your daughter and he asked me to go shave and cut my hair so I could meet his bloody boss. So this time I decided to return to my travels and I would return when I felt like it. I helped so many people by trying to keep you out of my mind and it worked for the most part." she wiped some tears away but they kept falling

"But now I am back in England and I see that it hasn't worked, here you are raising Rosie alone by the looks of it and Ron is back with Lavender. I loved you all these years and I hoped you were happy with Ron and Rosie" he finished. She cleared her throat

"I fell in love with you too you know" she said

"Really?" he smiled

"Yes really, but I'm not good enough for you Harry. I never was and that's why I kept going back to Ron, I thought eventually you'd realise that I wasn't pretty enough or sexy enough or brave enough to be at your side and you'd go find someone else"

"How could you think that Mione, I think you are the most beautiful, sexy, brave, and funny and caring woman I have ever met"

"But I'm not Harry. Back then I was a bushy haired know it all and you were the boy who defeated a basilisk and then won the tri wizard cup and then defeated Voldemort and now I'm a mom of a four year old and a lawyer, whereas you are a well travelled wizard who has helped people right across the world" he said sadly

"Stand up" he lead her to a big mirror in the hallway. Standing behind her while she looked at herself

"You are beautiful, my god how can you not see it. That bushy haired witch you speak about kept me from dying while looking for the philosopher's stone, then helped me free my godfather, then helped me win the tri wizard tournament, then helped me defeat Voldemort. I didn't do it alone, I had you and because I had you I could do it. Now you're a mother who sacrifices everything she has to support a beautiful and intelligent little girl, compared to that I look like a teenager who ran away from home because I was scared" he put his arms around her waist and she leaned into him

They stayed silent for a bit just enjoying being together again. She remembered how wonderful she felt when she would crawl into his bed even though she could never face him about it and now it was all out in the open

"You know I always slept the best when I slept in your bed" she asked

"I always waited for you to come to bed before I nodded off, I couldn't sleep without you being there" he replied

"So is there anyone in your life?" she asked

"No, I'm going home to an empty bed" he answered

"So will you stay with me tonight?" she asked hopefully

"I think I will" he said and she turned around in his arms

"Can I do something I wanted to since fourth year?" he asked this time and she only nodded

He kissed her gently on the lips; she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He let his hands explore her back and they drifted down to her hips and then her bum, she pushed him against the wall and kissed him in earnest. They parted and he looked into her eyes and kept his hands on her bum

"Really like my bum don't you?" she teased

"You don't know the half of it" he kissed her forehead

"Let's go to bed" she took his hand and led him to her bedroom

The next morning Harry woke up alone in bed and heard the shower running. He got up wrote Hermione a note and left for home, last night had been amazing and they only shared a bed and held one another. When he arrived at Grimmauld place he reopened the floo and called for Kreacher. The house elf was ancient now and moved slowly

"I need you to find your replacement and I need you to show them around, then you may retire. You can live here if you have nowhere to go"

"Kreacher will do this" he replied and popped away

Harry showered and changed before making his way to Gringotts. His business there took him the rest of the morning to complete, on his way out he ran into Neville and Hannah who were surprised to see him. They had a little boy with them and he was excited because he was getting a new broom. Harry wished them luck and went back to Hermione's place.

When he arrived saw her from outside, she looked as beautiful as ever. He knocked and Ron answered the door

"Harry, it's good to see you. Hermione and I were just talking about you" and then Ron punched him in the face "You're a lying cunt you know that, when I asked you how things went while Hermione and I were broken up you said 'As good as can be' and now I find out you were sleeping together the whole time" Ron fumed

"Ron you need to be reasonable. I only had everyone's best interests at heart"

"Yeah whatever Harry" then he apparated away

"Are you okay Hermione?" he found her standing in the kitchen

"I'm sorry I told him everything, he was bragging about how happy he was with Lavender and then suggested I find someone and then it all kind of slipped" she cried

"It's okay, where is Rosie?" he asked

"She is on holiday with my parents for a week, that's why they were here yesterday. They helped her pack the appropriate clothes" She said wiping tears away again

He stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace

"Where did you go?" she asked

"Gringotts, I had a few things to sort out. I should have stayed, it might have been better" he offered

"I don't think it could have been better, maybe a lot worse. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure"

"Why didn't you ever ask me to stay and not go to Ron? At school when we were fighting so much you never once suggested I break up with him"

"Because in the moments when you weren't fighting the two of you looked so happy, what right did I have to destroy that?"

"Okay that's fair enough, may I ask one more question?"

"Go ahead, I think we should get it all out today to avoid me getting punched again" he chuckled

"Are you going to leave again?" she didn't meet his eyes this time

"I don't know. Are you going to go back to Ron again? Will Rosie be okay with you dating me and seeing me in your bed? I sucked at Divination Hermione so I can't tell you"

"I'm not going back to Ron" she replied firmly

"And the rest Hermione? I found that it was easier to help other people rather than sit and focus on my problems and heartache, so if needs be I will return to that"

"Why can't you be selfish for once?" She shot back

"Because that's not who I am, I died so that the world would be able to move on. I never planned to survive after I saw Snape's memories" he shrugged

"So where do we go from here?" she asked

"Tell me what you want to do?" he countered

"I don't know, I have to think about Rosie. But I want to be with you so badly Harry, I wish that we had this discussion the night after he came back and not now when life is so complicated"

"Don't say that, Rosie wouldn't be here if we were together" he said

"She'd be called something else and maybe have darker hair" Hermione offered

"No Mione, I can't have kids. The healer said it's probably the combined effects of being hit with the killing curse twice and being under the cruciatus so many times" he explained and tears fell from her eyes again

"Don't cry Mione, it's not all bad. It's not even the worst harm I've been forced to endure" he continued

"Why did I have to fall in love with you?" she asked and laughed

"Because I'm convinced that you're crazy" he closed the gap that had formed between them "and because I'm so prone to danger you can't help but try and get me out of it?" he kissed her cheek

"You know Mr Potter I have to agree with you" she said kissing the side of his mouth. She found his presence intoxicating and she struggled to pull herself away from him again

"Harry wait" she said taking deep breaths to calm her nerves "We have to talk about this; we can't just see where it goes. I have to think of Rosie first, she needs a stable home which she has now. She understands why Ron only sees her some days. Now I have to explain to her why you're always here and sharing my bed" she ran her hands through her hair

"So what do you want from me Hermione?" he asked

"I want you to stay and give me time to figure out everything" she begged

"That seems fair" he answered and checked his watch "I've got to go, I'm meeting with someone for a late lunch" he gave her a hug and kissed her on the forehead and then turned to leave

She sat at the bay window of her living room and watched the scenery, she thought about Harry and everything he said last night and this morning and what she couldn't forget was that he said not having kids wasn't the worst thing he had to endure. Then there was Ron, part of her still thought they should give it another try for Rosie's sake. She decided to head down to the Alley to get some documents from work so that she could distract herself from the issue at hand. Walking past a restaurant she saw Harry laughing and talking to a blonde woman, she was the most beautiful woman Hermione had ever seen. Then she recognised her, it was Fleur's little sister who was all grown up now. She forced herself forward and bumped into Ron who was locking the door that led to his apartment

"I'm sorry I was…." Hermione started

"Hermy, I'm so sorry about earlier" Ron cut her off before she saw that it was him

"I'm an idiot for everything I said; I love you and Rosie more than anything in the world. I broke up with Lavender as well" he continued. Hermione didn't know what to say about her ex-husband pleading with her in public

"I just want to be the best father and husband I can be, if you'll give me another chance?" he begged her now, he was on his knees holding her hands

"Ron, how will we fix this?" she gestured between the two of them

"There are healers who deal with these types of problems, or so Seamus says. We can go see one of them" he offered looking hopeful

"It won't be easy Ron and there is a lot we need to work through" she said in the hopes of dissuading him

"I know Hermione, but I was happiest with you and I want to give you everything you deserve" He stood and held her close and she couldn't help but compare the certainty Ron painted for her to the uncertainty that Harry did

"Ok' she said quietly

"You'll try and give this another shot?" he asked looking into her eyes

"Yes I will" she smiled

"Great, I'm working tonight but hopefully we can get together for lunch tomorrow?" he asked

"Sure, see you then" and then he kissed her and she leaned into it.

Harry and Gabrielle had finished paying for their meal and were making their way back into the Alley when he saw Hermione and Ron across the street.

"Thank you again for the lead Harry, we've been looking for months for the species and you solved it for us"

"Thank you for lunch, all I did was fall into a pit where Albino Blast end skrewts were" he smiled but it didn't reach his eyes

"Your bad luck never ceases to amaze me" she hugged him and made her way to the closest floo

When he looked over to where Hermione and Ron had been they were no longer there, he made his way to the apparition point and went back to Hermione's. Sitting on her porch he took some time to think about what he saw, Ron was kissing Hermione and she was leaning into him the same way she did with him the night before. This all happened about an hour after he left her and she had asked him to give her time and not to leave, he was still lost in thought when apparated in front of him resulting in both of them being shocked.

"Harry! You shouldn't scare me like that" she reprimanded

"I'm sorry" he grinned and then he remembered why he was here

"So what happened with Ron?" he asked stepping back from her

"What happened with Gabrielle?" she asked mimicking his accusatory tone

"We had lunch because she was instructed by her boss to thank me for helping them find a new species in the Amazon rainforests. We spent some time together there and then again in Africa because she is a Zoologist" he explained condescendingly

"Oh" she said

"Let me take a guess what happened then?" Harry asked

"You saw me having a good time with Gabrielle and thought that I had found someone more beautiful, brave and intelligent and you ran back to Ron?" he continued

"Harry, it's not like that. Ron and I have Rosie and she should have her parents and Ron is willing to try counselling" she tried to explain

"Ok so you are back together?" he asked stepping further away from her

"We are going to try for Rosie's sake" she tried explaining again

"Are you back together?"

"Yes"

"Goodbye Hermione" he didn't give her a chance to respond as he apparated away

She apparated to Grimmauld place and found him inside staring out the window with a bottle of water in hand

"Harry?" she started softly

"Leave Hermione" he said simply, there was no anger or malice in his voice

"Listen to me, life with you would be uncertain and complicated. With Ron it will be easier and I'll have a measure of certainty" she started

"You know that's bullshit Hermione, you've never taken the easy path" he said, again without anger or malice

"I'm scared okay, you scare me!" She finally admitted what bothered her about Harry "You're always ready for whatever comes your way. Then you defeat Voldemort and you carry on as if it was just another day for you. You say you died as if it was the flu, Harry my daughter can't be exposed to that. You are great and if I was single I'd be with you in an instant but I need to keep Rosie as safe as possible" she was shaking now, she didn't understand why she felt so angry and scared

"Okay Hermione" he said without emotion

"Is that all?" she demanded

"Yes, I'm not going to try and convince you. I thought last night and this afternoon would have been enough but you seem determined to stay with Ron and make excuses to make the decision easier. You'll even go as far as calling me unsafe or dangerous. So leave Hermione, because clearly you have decided where you want to be" he answered

"Bye Harry" she left the room and then eventually the building. She barely made it into her own home before she broke down. Sometime around midnight she made it into bed and stayed there until Ron came over for lunch. He carried a bag of takeaways from a muggle place she liked in one hand and roses in the other.

"Hermione, are you okay?" he asked caringly

"Yeah just feeling under the weather today, could you get me a pepper up potion downstairs?" she asked

"Sure" he exited the room and she took the opportunity to get up and wash her face. She heard him coming back up the stairs so she kicked off her shoes and took off her jacket that she had been wearing

"Here you go, did you call in sick to work?" he enquired

"No I haven't I'll explain it tomorrow" she took the potion and drank it in one go

"So I brought us some lunch and this" he gave her the roses

"Thank you so much" she embraced him and kissed him

"I'll bring flowers often if that's the reward I get" he smirked

The day and the rest of the week continued like this for Ron and Hermione; she didn't have any problems about missing a day of work. Ron fetched her for lunch everyday and by Saturday he was moved back into the house. On Sunday evening Rosie returned with Hermione's parents who were shocked to see Ron there. Her mother pulled her to the kitchen at the first opportunity

"What is happening here?" she asked and Hermione could hear the judgement in her voice

"We are trying to make it work for Rosie's sake"

"Which is admirable Hermione but what about Harry, we saw how he looked at you at dinner last week" her mother's voice softened

"I want Rose to grow up with both her parents; I'm just trying to do what's best for her. Harry couldn't deal with that so he left again"

"Are you sure about trying again?" she asked one last time

"I have to" Hermione shrugged

"Then we'll do everything we can to support you" he mother gave her a hug and went back to the lounge

The weeks that followed were very tense for Ron, Hermione and Rosie. They attended sessions with a healer and spoke about everything. Hermione told them about everything Harry told her and everything she had told him, Ron took it upon himself to be even sweeter and caring towards her. Time moved on for the little family and a year later they remarried with only four guests present, both sets of parents. They received their first postcard from Harry the following day, he was somewhere in Australia. He also sent a stuffed Kangaroo for Rosie. So the years passed again and every year Rosie would send Harry a birthday card and he would send her postcards three or four times a year, Hermione never wrote him even though she thought of him often.

When she turned ten she received her letter from Hogwarts and on the 31st July 2012 they went to Diagon Alley to pick up school supplies. In the book store Hermione found Harry guiding a group of kids around while they got everything they needed for first year.

"Harry is that you?" she asked because she couldn't believe the sight in front of her

"Yeah, McGonagall asked me to bring these muggle born students to get their supplies" he explained

"Why would she ask you though?" Hermione pressed

"The new Defence teacher has to contribute somehow" he shrugged

"Congratulations. Oh and Happy Birthday. Rose should be around here somewhere" she looked around

"Uncle Harry?" she asked uncertainly

"It's me Rosie, so are you excited for your first day?" he asked

"I am, Happy Birthday Uncle Harry" she hugged him tightly

"Thank you Rosie, I'll see you at Hogwarts" he said and kissed her forehead then he was off

 **AN – There we go, Chapter 1 done and dusted**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN – Here's the second instalment**

 **Chapter 2 – Finding home**

Time at Hogwarts always seemed to go too quickly for Harry, Christmas break was two days away and he sat at his desk marking essays when a huge brown owl crashed through his window. After repairing the window he removed the note from the bird's leg

 _Mr Harry Potter_

 _My name is Samson and I am from a village close to Albania, We are in dire need of your experience and expertise. Please help there are children dying almost every night_

 _Samson_

He got up and made his way to the headmasters office

"Professor Potter, is there something I can help you with?" She asked

"Remember I told you what I had been doing all these years?" he asked

"Yes I do. Do you need to return to it? I thought you said you'd be here for the entire year?"

"I need to help someone, but I should be back before the new term starts" he clarified

"That will be okay, I'll see you on the express then" she stood and gave him a hug

He rushed out of the office and packed his trunk which he then shrunk and started his journey. He arrived a day later and met up with Samson

"Thank you for coming, I have managed to find out some information about what it could be. First we thought it was a Vampire but there isn't any evidence. An older lady here thinks it might be an Alp but no one has ever seen one" he rushed through his explanation

"An Alp?" Harry asked

"A shapeshifter which likes taking and hurting children but we think it might be a myth" he explained once more. Harry ran his hands through his hair and sighed, so many times it was something that people believed to be a myth that turned out to be the truth.

Two weeks later Harry stood in front of a broken house, he had been relentless in his investigation and here he was. He pulled out his wand and went inside; the house was bare but he could feel the magical energy. He found a door which looked as if it led downstairs to a basement, descending down the stairs he saw many children locked behind a gate. They all looked weak and tired he rushed to the gate but found himself thrown backward

"You won't take them away" an old and tired voice screeched

"What are you doing to them?" He asked the darkness

"Feeding off their power, you see I am very old and weak and their power keeps me alive" the voice spoke slowly

Harry cast multiple spells towards the voice to incapacitate it

"Fool, soon you will pay" Harry kept moving trying to find the voice and he eventually did. She was a sickly looking woman sitting in a broken piece of furniture

He cast two stunners and then she was unconscious. Starting his work on the gate he poured his magic into breaking the bond and opening the gate. He was hit with a spell against his right leg and a scream involuntarily escaped his throat, he spun around and found himself face to face with Samson

"I knew you would be powerful, now mom can live forever" he laughed

"Too bad I killed her" Harry bluffed

"What? No!" Samson ran to her side only to be hit with a stunner himself. Harry tried to stand but his leg wouldn't co-operate. He conjured a crutch and tied up the two idiots and created a Portkey, conjuring a vial he pulled the memory from his mind. He wrote a quick note to the Aurors and activated the Portkey sending the mother and son to the Ministry of Albania

He made his way over to the gate and started his process again

"Are you setting us free Mister?" a small girl with blonde hair and green eyes asked

"Yes I am, don't worry you'll be out soon" he smiled at her. Feeling the drain on his magic, Harry hoped the door would open soon. Minutes later it did and he led the children back to the village, which took him longer than he would have liked. There were tears of joy from every parent who now held their child again, the little girl with blonde hair stood next to him

"Where are your parents?" he asked but she wouldn't speak. One of the other adults came over and explained what had happened

"Her mother was very sickly and died a few weeks ago and then this little one went missing. You must understand sir that they were only here a few months before the mother fell ill, so no one noticed when she disappeared"

"I understand, will one of you take her in?" he asked

"Look around; there is not much to go around" she raised her arms and gestured to everything around them

"Mister, can I come with you?" the blonde whispered "Will you be my papa? I've never had a papa" and then Harry Potter's heart broke and he knelt next to her so he could look her in the eyes

"Of course I will be" and pulled her into and embrace "What's your name?"

"It's Nastashia" she smiled. She looked much better already

"How old are you?" he asked again and she raised five fingers

The next day Harry and Nastashia arrived at St Mungos, he still couldn't use his right leg and he wanted her looked at

"Mr Potter, how can I help?" a young medi-witch asked

"I need some medical attention" he started then explained everything that happened the previous evening

"No problem, come with me and I'll get two healers to get you two looked at" she led them into a room with a bed and two chairs. A few minutes later two healers stepped into the room and started scanning Harry and Nastashia

"She is malnourished and she has flu" the female healer spoke "Gretchen, please get me these potions" she scribbled furiously and handed them to the medi-witch who left immediately

"Mr Potter I have terrible news and okay news" the male healer spoke

"Lay it on me" he said

"You were hit with something dark and I can't reverse it, but I can get you walking again with a limp" the healer didn't look him in the eyes

"There's nothing you can do to get me back to same way I was before the curse?"

"Unfortunately not" he spoke again

"Just get me walking then" Harry said deflated

That was when the medi-witch walked back in with potions.

"Do you mind if we get her washed Mr Potter?" The female healer asked

"Not a problem, I was planning on going home before we came here but the leg was becoming a real problem" he said grimacing at the pain he was in now that he could feel his leg again

"We shouldn't be too long, we'll also find her something nice to wear until you can go shopping later" the female healer led Gretchen and Nastashia out of the room

"Must be glad that you somehow managed to have a child hey Harry? You don't mind if I call you Harry?" the healer looked nervous

"In part yes because I thought it was something I'd never have and no I don't mind" He gave the healer a smile

"She seems sweet, most kids whine when they have to drink potions or get a check up" the healer spoke between spells

"I'm actually completely lost as to what I need to do for her. All I know is that she should be happy and have a childhood completely different to mine" Harry spoke with a far off look in his eyes

"It's all a parent can do. Now this is going to hurt, but you'll be able to walk afterward and the pain will be gone by tomorrow" The healer warned and then cast his spell

"Well that was pleasant" Harry said through clenched teeth and his voice was dripping with sarcasm

"Let me go get you a crutch, it'll make walking slightly easier. You may want to think about using a cane?" the healer suggested

"Thanks, I think I'll try Madam Malkin's later" he started pacing slowly around the room

A few minutes later everyone returned to the room and Nastashia was wearing a green dress and with stockings and carried a coat in her hands

"You look very nice Nas" Harry commented trying out a nickname for her

"Thank you papa" the girl beamed and sat down on the bed next to him

"Here you go, take this and I'll see you both back here next week Friday" The female healer spoke giving them each a potion

The healers left and the medi-witch was cleaning up the room

"Where to now Mr Potter?" she smiled

"Ministry, then Madam Malkin's or maybe the other way around, then we'll go get some lunch"

"Yay" Nas shouted

"Hungry?" Harry asked and she nodded

"You must tell me in future okay? Don't be scared to ask me for anything, I am your papa after all" he hugged her

"See your round Gretchen"

"Bye Miss Gretchen" Nastashia said as they left

"Let's get you clothes then food and then we'll go to the Ministry okay?" Harry suggested and Nas nodded as the walked down the alley

"Oh my" Madam Malkin and Pomfrey exclaimed as Harry walked into the store

"Mr Potter, can you not stay out of danger?" Madam Pomfrey scolded causing Nastashia to hide behind Harry

"You know I can't Madam Pomfrey" he grinned at his favourite healer

"Who is that behind you?" She asked

"This is my daughter as of yesterday" he replied and both ladies stepped forward for a closer look

"Her eyes match yours" Madam Malkin noticed

"Say hi Nas, Madam Pomfrey is a healer like that nice lady at St Mungos and Madam Malkin will fit some clothes for you"

"Hi" she said with a nervous smile

"I'll be off then, will you be back on Monday Mr Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked

"I will, I have a promise to keep" he replied

"So what do we need to get you?" Madam Malkin spoke to Nastashia who immediately looked at Harry

"Just some dresses please and I need a cane so I can get rid of this crutch" Harry replied

"Let's get going then"

After an hour of shopping for clothes and grabbing lunch, Harry and Nastashia walked into the ministry and sorted out the adoption process which went surprisingly quick. He decided to go into muggle London to get her some muggle clothes and toys. They had dinner at a pizza place and went home to Grimmauld place

"This is home Nas" he opened the door for her

"It's so big, will I have my own room papa?" she asked excited

"Of course you will, right across from mine" he led her upstairs to the room that used to belong to Hermione

"Here we are" he opened the door to the room and it was clean as always. Winky always kept the house tidy

"Winky!" Harry called and the elf popped in

"Master Harry is calling?" she squeaked

"This is my daughter Nastashia; you will come with us to Hogwarts so that you can take care of her while I teach okay?"

"Winky would be honoured"

"Please pack these away for her while I show her the rest of the house" he said putting the shrunk bags onto the table in the room

After showing her all the rooms he led her back into her own and got her ready for bed. He tucked her in and gave her the wolf doll she chose earlier

"Good night papa"

"Good night Nastashia" he said and kissed her forehead

Sitting down on his own bed Harry ran his hand through his hair "What the hell am I doing?" he spoke to himself as he kicked of his shoes. The right taking two tries

He got into the shower washing the two days of dirt of him and then got into bed and drifted to sleep. His sleep was interrupted when Nastashia climbed onto the bed

"What's wrong?" He asked sleepily

"I keep seeing the bad lady papa" she wiped a tear away. He remembered when he felt so scared because uncle Vernon would hit him

"Come here" he pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back

"You know your papa used to be scared as well" he asked her while she cried and she just shook her head

"My papa is the bravest!" she argued

"But he was once as small as you are and just as scared" Harry told her

"What happened?" she asked tears subsiding

"He learnt to be better at fighting his fears and he had some really good friends" his mind immediately went to Hermione

"Did his friends help him?" she quizzed

"They did and now he helps others who are scared and can't help themselves"

"Like me?" she asked

"Yes like you sweety, but you're very special because I'm always going to be there whenever you need me, no matter what"

"Thank you papa" she yawned. Harry covered her with the blanket and laid down again listening to her breaths as he fell asleep again

The next day found the two Potter's sitting in the library while Harry marked the last assignments and Nastashia was playing with some of the toys he bought yesterday. He heard the floo from the other room and then Hermione's voice calling for him

"In the Library!" he shouted

The door burst open and Rosie came running in and almost knocked him out of the chair

"We saw Madam Pomfrey and she said you were hurt" she was crying

"I'm fine, not the worst pain I've dealt with" he smiled

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked from the door way

"I am, more permanent damage but some good came from it" He pointed to the feet sticking out behind his chair

"Come out Nas, meet aunt Hermione" he reached for her hand and she jumped into his lap

"She so cute Uncle Harry" Rosie cooed

"This is Rosie and Rosie this is Nastashia, my daughter" he introduced the girls while stroking Nastashia's back. The action seemed to calm her down

"Hi Nastashia, I'm Hermione. Rosie's mum and your dad's friend" Hermione spoke with a guarded expression

"Did you help papa not be scared?" she asked

"She did Nas" Harry answered because Hermione was shocked silent

"So she's a nice lady too?"

"She is and so is Rosie. Do you want to play with Rosie while I talk to Hermione" he asked her and she nodded. He got up, grabbed the cane and made his way to the kitchen

"So what happened?" Hermione asked with her hands on her hips

"I guess long story isn't going to get me out of it?" he joked

"Not at all, you're limping!" she shouted

"Calm down Hermione, I went to this village because I got a letter asking for help. Long story short I was cursed from behind and now I have a limp" he explained

"And the child?" she pressed

" _Nastashia_ was one of the children involved in the plot and she was an orphan. So I adopted her"

"You can't just adopt a child, there's paper work that needs to be completed…"

"Which I done yesterday at the Ministry" he replied. He was getting irritated with Hermione now

"What do you know about raising a child?" Hermione asked

"Just that I'll treat her a damn sight better than what I was treated"

"It's not so easy" She almost shouted

"Hermione, you need to stop shouting. I will do my best to raise her and if I need help there are many people who I can ask"

"Why do you always have to be the Hero?" she did shout this time

"Because no one else is stepping up for the job" he replied coolly

"Papa?" Nastashia popped her head around the

"Come here Nas" he picked her up and sat her on the counter "What's wrong?"

"I heard shouting so I thought the bad lady was here" she said sounding very scared, Harry pulled her into an embrace and mouthed "Leave" to Hermione and Rosie

"Don't worry sweety, I told you no one is going to hurt you while I'm around" she kissed her forehead

The rest of the weekend went by quite quickly and Monday found the Potters on the train to Hogwarts

"Let's go do see what everyone is up to Nas" Harry opened the door for her to pass

They walked down the passage way greeting different students as they went; some students asked about the limp and others about Nastashia. They passed the trolley and Harry got Nastashia some sweets before they continued they rounds or as Nastashia started calling it their adventure. The train stopped in Hogsmead and Harry found a carriage for the two of them

"Papa?" she asked from beside him

"Yes Nas"

"Will everyone like me?" she asked quietly

"Of course they will, you're such a lovely little girl and you are so polite" he pulled her closer to him

"But Hermoney didn't like me" she argued

"Hermione was just shocked that everything changed so quickly, but she will learn to like you"

"Is she still going to be your friend papa?" Nas sounded sad about it

"I hope so Nas, but I have an even better friend now" he said while he rubbed her back

"Can I meet her?" she looked hopefully

"It's you silly!" he chuckled

Hogwarts was extremely welcoming to Nastashia and she became the apple of everyone's eye. Friday came and the two of them were back at the hospital for their check up

"Hi you two" Gretchen said and led them to an examination room

"She is completely fine now Mr Potter, she just needs more nourishment but I think that will sort itself out the longer she is in your care" The female healer said and left the room

A few minutes later the male healer walked in

"Good morning Harry" he smiled "How is the leg feeling?" he asked

"It feels fine, the limp is irritating though but I'll get used to it I suppose" he replied

"Physically you are in great health so I think this is goodbye then" he shook Harry's hand and left the room

"Shall we get some ice cream before we head back?" he asked Nastashia as they walked down Diagon Ally and she nodded. They sat outside and watched the world go by

"Papa" she said

"Yes Nas?" he gave her his full attention

"Why does everyone say thank you to you?" she said pushing the empty bowl away from her

"Remember when I told you I used to be scared too?" he asked and she nodded still looking unbelieving that he could ever be scared "When I was a baby there was a very bad man and he tried to hurt me" he started with the story, albeit a very mild version of the story. He continued telling her about his days before Hogwarts as the day progressed

"Then I started at Hogwarts and I thought that I was going to be safe" he continued as she lay in bed listening intently "But the bad guy everyone thought was gone came back but he was disguised as someone else"

"What is disguised?" she asked

"When you make yourself look like someone else" he explained

"Ok, so the bad guy looked like someone else?"

"Yup and he wanted a stone that would make him live forever" he said remembering things that he had been ignoring for many years. He finished first year and she was sound asleep in her bed so he went to his own and got ready to sleep

Between classes and spending time with his daughter Harry Potter found happiness; no longer worrying about anyone but the little girl who ruled his life. When she turned six she insisted that he invite Gretchen over so that she could celebrate with them, the medi witch agreed and they had a great time. Such a great time in fact that Gretchen's visits became a regular occurrence in their lives, it wasn't long before she was spending weekends at Grimmauld place and an even shorter period of time before she stopped sleeping in a separate bed to Harry. Grimmauld place felt like home to Harry for the first time since Sirius

Harry went on to be the first Professor to teach more than one year of Defence against the dark arts and only stopped when Nastashia started school because she insisted that once he didn't need to take care of her everyday that he go back to helping people like he did before she came along. So after seeing Nas off on the train to Hogwarts Harry and Gretchen set off on a new adventure; helping people at every turn and sending Nas long letters about the adventures and Rose, who was in her final year, post cards signed Harry and Gretchen and later just H&G.

Harry, Ron and Hermione never went back to being as close as they were before. The entire Weasley clan attended the wedding between Harry and Gretchen but they seldom visited. Harry also told Gretchen the entire story of his life and not just the published version, she cried at certain places (the same places Nas had cried when he told her the unedited version) and she understood why he fell for Hermione. She often encouraged him to write them and he did

Harry Potter stepped into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the First of September the year after Nastashia finished her last year. He felt happier and more loved than he had ever in his life; he had a fantastic wife (who was working as the new school nurse) and a happy daughter studying to be a healer. He walked up to his new office and looked at the paintings on the wall smiling down at him (Dumbledore winked and McGonagall smiled brighter than the rest) and then at his new nameplate

Harry James Potter

Headmaster

 **AN – And that's a wrap ladies and gentlemen. Hope everyone enjoyed**


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